


The Perfect Day

by SailorStarDust1



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Canon - Original Game, F/M, Friendship/Love, Ignores Compilation, Love Triangles, Prompt Fic, Romantic Fluff, Slice of Life, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-13 18:36:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21498652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorStarDust1/pseuds/SailorStarDust1
Summary: On a peaceful day 5 years ago, Zack and Aerith enjoy spending just another day together. Zack introduces some friends of his.Written for Zerith Discord (23 Tiny Wishes) Giving Thanks 2019 event! Thursday the 21st Prompt: "Perfect Day".
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, Unrequited Aerith Gainsborough/Sephiroth, Unrequited Zack Fair/Sephiroth, Zack Fair & Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	The Perfect Day

**Author's Note:**

> Compilation? Don't know her. Please enjoy this shoujo-style drama! I was inspired by various things (like Marmalade Boy, ehehehe). This is my second (...I think? Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17987549 ) Zerith-focused fic, so I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Thanks so much to **@TheClosetPoet7** for beta'ing and being my sounding board on this one!

“_Please_? I’d really like to introduce her to a buddy of mine! It’s no problem if he tags along, right? Just for today?” A pause before the 1st Class hesitantly continued, “And uh... _ maybe _ tomorrow, too? Look, you know as well as I do that we’ve been swamped with paperwork since things have been so quiet!”

The silver-haired swordsman pinched the bridge of his nose. Zack’s whining had already gotten on his last nerve. “Fine.” He stood from his cushy chair within the comfortable waiting area for 1st Classes, his reading (for leisure) set down, bookmark already in place. Their Mako-fueled fireplace—its aged, wooden, mantle featuring a marble bust of President Shinra—on a chilly, early-September day was an _ especially _nice touch. 

Lower ranks and infantrymen were busy elsewhere with their training exercises and various drills. The day’s peace and quiet, infrequent as it was—no assignments upcoming except for one near the end of the month, in some mountain village—certainly something to be cherished.

“Who _ was _it that you wanted to ‘tag along’, anyway?”

The raven-haired 1st Class hesitated briefly, blinking, before his lips quirked upwards into his usual easygoing grin. “Oh, you mean besides yo—”

“Zack, I was in the middle of _ gasp _ squats. What was _ so _important that you—”

A wheezing, blond, infantryman nearly collapsed against the doorway of the carpeted room. Blue eyes widened while locking on Sephiroth, before quickly focusing their attention on anything _but _the legend. 

Due to Zack being suddenly interrupted, the older man raised an eyebrow. _ Hm. _

He recalled seeing this grunt occasionally—usually glued to the hip and laughing with Zack, when neither were busy on their assignments. A social life for a 1st Class or otherwise, was important to stay mentally sharp. Not that Shinra’s highest ranking Soldier cared for things of that nature. Training and, frankly, Zack’s usual headaches kept Shinra’s best of the best busy enough already.

“You.” Sephiroth nodded towards the blond with his usual air of calm. “What was your name, again?”

The starry eyed teenager immediately straightened upon being directly addressed, rigid as a board, before saluting his superior. “Cloud Strife, sir!”

Sephiroth just shook his head. Another fan of his, it seemed. And yet, something about the aura this boy gave off that felt quite different than the other recruits and infantrymen. Somewhat intriguing. “You _ will _be accompanying myself and Zack to Sector 5, yes? He’s quite insistent about us meeting his lady-friend.”

“You can’t back out of it _ this _time, Cloud!” 

Zack eagerly piped up after ensuring his uniform and polished Buster Sword were presentable for walking publicly around Midgar. He had a proud reputation to uphold, after all.

“But...I....”; Cloud faltered, whatever excuses he had were already dying on his lips, especially due to Zack already tugging his friend by the arm so they could leave.

The eldest of the three simply rolled his eyes, impatiently tapping his foot.

* * *

Humming a merry tune to herself, Aerith, bent with the watering can, ensured her perky flowers in the center of the church, were well hydrated. They seemed to be getting plenty of sunlight, but...she couldn’t help herself in fretting about them blooming beautifully. 

It was something she could only do, no matter how small a good deed that it was. A relaxing activity that the Planet almost _ insisted _she do, despite not hearing her mother’s voice well enough to comprehend the reasons behind it. Not that Aerith ever minded, looking after the flowers to help herself and Mom afford groceries for their modest Sector 5 home. The military pension Elmyra received from Shinra for her late husband’s service only covered so much.

The creaking of the heavy and rusted church doors echoed through the otherwise abandoned place of worship, Aerith immediately grinning. _ So he was able to get today off, huh? _

“Glad you made it, Zack!”; she whirled around, casual sundress swaying against her knees from the sudden movement. She wore an overcoat due to the chill in Midgar’s air. 

“Oh!” Noticing unexpected company while both unfamiliar men curiously glancing about, she quickly brushed away dirt off her person (thanks to her miniature flower garden), offering an almost embarrassed laugh. 

“Nice to meet you both! I’m Aerith.” She offered her hand, Cloud quietly making himself comfortable in one of the pews while Sephiroth kept his gaze on brightly colored flowers ahead. She was his senior by maybe a year, Cloud figured?

“Um...yeah.”, the blond replied with an uncertain nod, before shaking her warm hand. Strange how she smelled as sweetly as her flowers, but it wasn’t unpleasant, by any means. Cobalt eyes fell to the floorboards of the church, his army-grade boots shuffled about, seemingly uncomfortable. “I’m Cloud. Zack’s told me a lot about you.”

“Nothing bad, I hope!” 

Aerith was laughing in delight, her emerald eyes almost sparkling, before she gently tapped the shoulder of the older man. She assumed he was probably around 22 or so, which made sense given Zack’s recently turning 18.

“Nice to meet you.”; Sephiroth replied with a firm shake, politely clearing his throat, before returning to stare at the flowers. “It’s curious. You grew these yourself, here in Midgar?”

“Yeah.”, the brunette nodded, sitting next to Zack, shoulder to shoulder in one of the pews, playing with something shiny and pearl-colored that stuck out of her hair ribbon.

_ ...Materia? She has some without being attached to the Company, or selling it by trade? Hm. _ The swordsman raised an eyebrow.

“It was tough work.”; she admitted, continuing, “but they like the soil here, and at home.”

“Hmm...” Sephiroth crouched to the sweet smelling flowers with eyes shut, inhaling the gently sun-kissed scent. 

“Beautiful.”, he breathed.

“Thank you!” Aerith felt utter delight in her heart, her happiness ready to bloom as if it were one of her many flowers. Happiness that she hoped to spread throughout the Slums by brightening otherwise dreary lives underneath the Plate.

Fully smiling, Shinra’s best gracefully stood, calmly dusting off his dark cloak. “I wasn’t talking about the flowers.”

Zack raised an eyebrow at Aerith’s laughter and pink-tinted cheeks from such easy-going flattery. In truth, his own face grew faintly hot, simply due to Sephiroth’s elegant mannerisms.

_ Jeez! What’s it gonna take for Seph to compliment _ me _ like that? I busted my butt getting to 1st, and sure we’ve gone on several missions together, but... _

Noticing how quiet Zack’s younger friend had gotten, Aerith turned. She continued smiling, encouragingly offering, “You know...”

“Eh?” Cloud’s eyes locked with hers. Gentle, genuine, warmth, radiated from her very soul.

“Your friend’s waiting back home to hear from you.” Soft encouragement, before she cocked her head to the side, bangs swaying with her confusion. “Why don’t you write her?”

He mumbled in wide-eyed awe, “You’re like a fortune teller.” Her mysterious albeit kindhearted air wasn’t an incorrect assumption, right?

Zack wrapped an arm around Aerith’s waist, pulling her in for a hug. “Ain’t she something else? It’s uncanny how in tune she is with people’s emotions!”

“Oh, you!” Aerith playfully slapped his shoulder, snuggling deeper into her boyfriend’s embrace. 

“I just know how to read people. It’s nothing special, really!”

Masamune atop the floor, Sephiroth carefully eyed the scene unfolding between the trio. He sat relaxed with his back leaning in a pew across from Cloud, the aisle separating them. Sunny, rainbow reflections of stained glass playfully shone down from high above.

Pen and notebook in hand, Cloud’s tongue stuck out a little as he concentrated on excitedly scribbling out _ just _the right words to write, to the girl back home. How likely was it, he wondered, that she was waiting to hear from him, during his two years away from Nibelheim?

_ Dear Tifa: _

_ I’m so sorry I haven’t written back to any of your letters! Glad you found my forwarding address here in Midgar. Training for Soldier has been seriously time consuming. _

It was honesty, and yet...he couldn’t quite tell her the truth that he hadn’t made it in. Cloud didn’t want to disappoint her, solemnly taking their water tower promise underneath that starry sky, dear to his heart.

_How _is _everything back home? That’s cool you’ve improved with your piano lessons! Is your dad doing well, keeping the town in order? Do you ever talk with Mom sometimes?_

Cloud continued to write. Explaining a little bit about what a busy city Midgar was, what a great friend he made in Zack the past 2 years, and how frankly _ boring _ it was to be in the military, mostly stuck doing paperwork or drills rather than exciting deployment to exotic locations. And yes—he finally got to meet his idol, the great Sephiroth. And yes—that man _ was _as incredible as Cloud imagined.

“Hmm...”, Aerith began mumbling, staring at nothing in particular atop the floorboards. An arm around her as the flower girl sat propped up on her knees, brief concern flashed in Zack’s Mako-infused sky-blue eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really.” Her smile turned lopsided. “I just...Hm, well.”

Her voice grew small, as if ashamed the others would hear: “I wanna know more. I don’t...remember them well. My parents, I mean.”

Zack glanced at Aerith’s sad face once, before confirming both Cloud and Sephiroth were keeping to themselves. His fingers cupped her chin, before leaning in and pressing soft lips tenderly against her forehead.

“I’ll see what I can find out for you? Just...give me a few days?”

And, his girlfriend’s warm smile in turn made any potential troubles absolutely worth it.

“Thank you, Zack.”

Arms crossed, Zack was grinning from ear to ear. “No sweat.”

* * *

“We’ll be back tomorrow, Aerith!” Zack leaned in and kissed the giggling woman’s cheek. Sephiroth offered a silent glare before Zack nervously corrected, “Erm. Make that in a few days?”

Hands clasped behind her back, Aerith nodded, brightly smiling. “Sure thing! I’ll be waiting.”

“That girl...”, Sephiroth muttered, rubbing his chin in thought, the three weaving their way through the Sector 5 Slums towards the nearest train station. That noisy, crowded, line brimming with working-class civilians and Shinra businessmen alike, running from Sector 7’s platform would return them to the upper plates in an hour’s time. Ignoring _ ooh’s _ and _ ahh’s _in no small part due to his intimidating presence grew easier with age. Fame never mattered much to him, despite the nice perks that came with it. What he truly desired in life, that element called family...something never granted to him. Shinra’s sterile laboratories and unbearable barracks, Professor Hojo’s constantly disproving scowl; the only things he clearly recalled from as far back as toddlerhood. 

At least his mother’s name was a quiet comfort. ‘Jenova’. Truly beautiful and unique.

“Something wrong, uh, sir?” Cloud couldn’t help obvious concern for his boyhood idol. Wrapping his issued scarf around his neck tighter fought off that biting autumn chill in the air.

“Nothing important.” He admitted while shaking his head...softly smiling. “I just feel like maybe I’ve met her...Aerith...before. Perhaps when I was younger?”

“Oh! Well, you know, the Turks...”

Cloud and Sephiroth both turned to Zack’s explanation, who abruptly cut himself off. “Hm?”

He was suddenly blushing, laughing sheepishly. “Ah...Never mind! Just some personal stuff that Aerith doesn’t want me to blab about!” He began laughing loudly as a means to cover his blunder, the other two unable to help themselves and crack a smile (somewhat) at Zack’s expense.

His cheer truly _ was _infectious at times.

And frankly...Zack didn’t mind in the slightest, making his friends laugh. Sephiroth’s smile especially was _truly_ a precious and rare treasure, in his mind.

* * *

_ So happy to hear you got my letters, Cloud! I was getting worried! _

Attached in Tifa’s reply, which Cloud read aloud to the small group some four days later, was a photo. A cheerfully smiling and waving 15 year old wearing a cowgirl outfit, standing near the front of her house.

“You should _really_ say hello to her, y’know? Nibelheim’s upcoming, end of this month.”

“Y-yeah.” Cloud blushed at Zack’s encouragement, despite nodding. His admitting it was quiet, albeit fully sincere. “I...want to see Tifa again. It’s already been way too long.”

That night on the water tower, so many years ago. Sure, the pair began talking a little bit more after Cloud promising to always be there for her, before leaving home in his attempt to climb Soldier’s ranks, but...How could he _ ever _uphold something so terribly dear to his heart, when he hadn’t even made Soldier like he boasted about?

_ Nothing but an embarrassment. A...failure. _

“You better, man! Super cute girlfriend you got there!”

Ignoring personal self-deprecation, Cloud’s blush deepened due to Zack, laughing loudly and ruffling his hair. 

“Oh, shut up!”, the blond grumbled, quickly fixing his Chocobo-like locks the way he styled them that morning. He went back to the letter, reading the P.S. privately to himself.

_ P.S: Cloud...send me a picture back next time, okay? I want to see how you’re doing. And... _

Her pen seemingly paused on the word, as if hesitating to continue, 

_ Maybe in the next letter, I’ll leave you a lipstick kiss? _ _ — Tifa _

Aerith smiled warmly at the antics between Zack and Sephiroth in the middle of (loudly, on Zack’s end) joking around; them noticing Cloud’s face burning hot after his letter. 

Seeing everyone so happy...truly wonderful when the Planet timed things just _right_ to bless everyone.

“Here, Aerith.”

“Mh?”

Zack handed her a thin manila-colored folder, rubbing the back of his neck. Photocopied documents, albeit sensitive data nevertheless.

“It’s not much...”; he admitted, offering an appreciative glance in Sephiroth’s direction. 

Zack’s superior smiled with shut eyes. Given his authorized access to Hojo’s labs during designated down-time, Sephiroth dug up what little scraps of information were easily available. Strange reports labelled ‘Jenova’, his mother’s name? To be investigated later. 

For now, there was a dear friend of Zack’s in need. Somebody truly intriguing. Beautiful. Another soul that felt similar to him, whether the same spiritual energy—if the soul was indeed tangible—or at the very least...there was _some _ sort of connection between them. Sephiroth, selfishly, hoped he could learn more. Aerith’s father, Professor Gast, sounded most fascinating. 

“But, we—I mean, _ I _ grabbed what I could.”

“Zack...” Aerith sucked in a breath that managed to come out like a gasp, green eyes watery with unshed tears. “Thank you so much. Really...! Thank you!” Nearly dropping the folder, she wrapped her arms around his neck in an incredibly tight hug. Zack laughed, immediately, warmly, returning the embrace. 

Anything he could do to help her out, he’d gladly do in a heartbeat. And here the brunette was about to reassure Zack that it was okay, her curiosity simply the better of her—after all, the past was the past—and _instead_? Just how far did Zack’s kindness extend?

_ Thank you. _Aerith wordlessly mouthed to Sephiroth who watched the embracing couple, the silver-haired man’s eyes—so similar yet so different to Aerith’s own!—widened, startled, before he looked away. 

A faint blush dusting his cheeks, he suddenly, strongly, returned the kind gaze while shaking his head. _ Truly, it was nothing. _

Had the young woman equally sensed something about Sephiroth himself, she hadn’t said. But her curious and occasionally...frightened...glances in his direction—Sephiroth privately hoped that nothing was amiss.

“Hey, umm...” 

“Yes, Cloud?” His intense but not unkind gaze met the blond’s.

Notebook and pen returned to his small pack, Cloud glanced at his wristwatch. “We should be heading back. Isn’t there some presentation tonight?”

“Crap!” Zack clicked his tongue in disappointment, apologetically scratching the back of his head. “I’m sorry, Aerith. See you soon?”

Grinning, she leaned in while fingering the old scar across his cheek, warmly kissing his lips. Zack immediately, greedily, reciprocated. Sweetly breaking away, lost in their own little world once Cloud and Sephiroth stepped out to give the pair some privacy, Aerith’s forehead rested against Zack’s own. She continued smiling.

“Work is work, right? Good luck on your upcoming missions, too. I’ll see you when you’re back home.”

Zack affectionately ran his fingers through auburn hair before pulling his girlfriend in for one more deep and lingering kiss.

It wasn’t the same as Aerith’s secret hopes of their visiting the Chocobo Farm together, or her silly little wish of being cuddled up in fluffy blankets with hot cocoa during a _ real _rainstorm, and yet. Spending time together like this, with new friends by their side, was an absolutely perfect day.


End file.
